The Dallas Mavericks have been cautious with star forward Kristaps Porzingis as he recovers from offseason knee surgery. However, the Mavs star's return might be imminent.

Mavericks head coach Rick Carlisle said Tuesday Porzingis was a “full go” in practice, per ESPN's Tim MacMahon. This would seemingly indicate he is on the verge of making his season debut.

The Mavs had every reason to show reservations.

Porzingis suffered a torn ACL during the 2017-18 season that eventually resulted in him missing the entirety of the next year. The Latvian also dealt with some soreness last season before sustaining a lateral meniscus tear during the team's first-round series against the Los Angeles Clippers.

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Carlisle had suggested Porzingis might not be cleared until sometime in February. It is not guaranteed his practice clearance will result in an immediate return to action (Carlisle hinted as much), but that would appear to be the next step.

This is obviously tremendous news for the Mavs, a team that appeared to right the ship with a 51-point win over the Clippers on Sunday.

Porzingis will play a vital role this year, particularly after the Mavs had a fairly quiet offseason. Dallas had been rumored to be after the likes of Victor Oladipo and Spencer Dinwiddie, but ultimately stayed mostly put. The onus will be on Porzingis to continue in his role as a floor-spacing big and secondary scorer in addition to providing rim protection.

The Mavs will try to get back to the .500 mark on Wednesday against the Charlotte Hornets.